Xu Heyi: BAIC may launch its driverless vehicle next year

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai October19th) - China Auto Intelligentization Summit was successfully held on October 14th. Xu Heyi, CCP Secretary and Chairman of BAIC spoke on the meeting that his company will try to launch a model of driverless vehicle available for a trial-drive as a demonstration on the Beijing International Auto Show next year.

He also noted that one focus of BAIC New-technology Institute’s work is to follow the trends of intelligentization, energy-conservation and environmental-protection of future automobiles, base on the concept of intelligentization and electrification, and produce a model of intelligent and alternative energy vehicle to help the whole car business.

Xu Heyi believed that there are three important transition features for the development of auto intelligentization. First, automobile itself is changing from the past functional type to an intelligent type. Second, the auto industry is changing from the pure manufacturing to an ecological auto-industry chain. Third, auto companies’ focuses are changing from the past capital and sizes to services.

BAIC signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with LeTV this March, preparing for a formal co-development of “Internet Car”. Xu Heyi also revealed that BAIC may have a more important cooperation with LeTV in more areas at the end of this year that can be formally published at that time.

“Automated driving and intelligent ecosystem with whole life cycle are two important parts of BAIC’s intelligentization delevepment. For the next five-year, BAW has a clear target, that is to make full use of intelligent technology to bring safe driving, comforts and better services for customers.” Xu Heyi said.